A derelict cargo ship found off the southern Gulf of Thailand foundered in rough seas off the coast of Nakhon Si Thammarat as it was towed ashore from Saturday night to Sunday.
On Thursday, the Chinese vessel Jinshuiyuan 2 of unknown origin was initially spotted floating near the offshore platform of oil giant Chevron, about 100 nautical miles off the coast of Songkhla province. The oil company’s service personnel notified local authorities, who informed the Songkhla Second Naval District Command of the incident.
Thai Maritime Enforcement Command said it would continue to investigate the potential illegal activities of the now capsized unmanned vessel in the Gulf of Thailand.
The Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Center (Thai MECC) released a statement on the disappearance and re-emergence of the so-called “ghost ship” in Thai waters, claiming that further investigation is needed.
RADM Itthipat Kawinfueangfukul, the Thai spokesman for MECC, commented that the Royal Thai Navy is continuing to find the source of the unmanned vessel, as well as an environmental impact assessment of the oil traces left by the sinking.
Thailand authorities speculate that the ghost ship, now registered as “Fin Shui Yuan 2”, may in fact be a Chinese-registered cargo ship “Jin Shui Yuan 2”. Based on the AIS vessel tracking system, the 56-meter vessel was last spotted in 2020
